Which to use
“sixpence” is a noun and “Spence” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,899
- “sixpence” frequency rank
- #18,435
- “Spence” frequency rank
- 61334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sixpence | Spence |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The value of six old pence; half of a shilling; or one-fortieth of a pound sterling. | Short form of the male given name Spencer. |
Where the eye mixes sixpence and Spence
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. sixpence runs 8 letters (CVCCVCCV) against Spence's 6 (CCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: sixpence vs Spence
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sixpence is /ˈsɪks.pəns/ while Spence is /ˈspɛns/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sixpence is recorded at frequency rank #42,899, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɪks.pəns/. Spence is at rank #18,435, tagged as aname, pronounced /ˈspɛns/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 61334, this pair ranks #94,907 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sixpence vs Spence
Shared letters: cenps. Private to "sixpence": ix. Private to "Spence": -.
"sixpence" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "Spence" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sixpence" for "Spence" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "sixpence" or "Spence" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sixpence" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Spence" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #94,907 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sixpence" and "Spence" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Spence vs Spenser". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #94,907 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.